Supernova
by Shadow-Phoenix-Rider
Summary: After Captain Zavvi's realization, it is not a matter of 'if', but 'when'. She doesn't know how to approach Corso after all she's done, and he often finds himself speechless before her. But maybe, just maybe...They can eventually be something more?
1. Where Eagles Fly

"_When are you going to tell the Captain you love her?_" If Corso was going to be surprised about anything, it wasn't that fact Bowdaar just got right to the point. He was, though, surprised at what he thought (it was rather hard to tell with Shyriiwook) was the tone of the growls and barks. The wookie seemed almost...annoyed with him.  
"It ain't as easy as it looks." The young man retorted, folding his arms. "I'd like to see you try an' tell the Captain something like that."  
Bowdaar chuffed with amusement.  
"_You're dodging the question, Corso._" He replied, and the corners of his eyes crinkled at the resulting indignant look. "_You can't hide your affection for her, and she cannot hide her affection for you. Unless there was another reason you and her were almost sharing chairs in the cargo hold._"  
A great big blush bloomed on Corso's face, almost reaching his ears.  
"You, you saw us?!" He spluttered. "We were just, I was just, I was showin' her how to look after Flashy and Sparkles and-"  
"_With your arm around her._" The wookie pointed out.  
"Yes, well..." The mercenary closed his eyes in exasperation. "You're just as bad as Risha sometimes, Bow."  
"_On the contrary. If she had her way, the both of you would have been teased and wound up until you were sick of the sight of each other. On the other paw, I just want to see you two happy._" Bowdaar replied. "_You both just need a little push together_."  
"It would be easier if I could just tell her, Bow, but every time I think I can tell her I open my mouth and, well, they just don't come." Corso explained, before he sighed. "Guess I can't wait for the Captain, huh?"  
"_It might take you much longer, yes._" Bowdaar replied. "_But you'll have a chance when it's just you and her._"

Corso raised an eyebrow.  
"Really? I know Akaavi's going off on her own, but what are you and Risha gonna do on Ralltiir anyway?" He asked.

It hadn't been a planet he had expected his captain to head for whilst they were taking a break from Senator Dodonna's orders, but he figured that if they went to Coruscant they might be caught (Zavvi had cut the comm channel that Dodonna used, and was busy talking with an associate to set up a cover story involving a pirate attack or something of that nature), and Nar Shaddaa just wasn't her cup of tea at the moment.  
"_If I understand, Risha is looking to get some deals to resupply the ship, and I'm going with her as back-up._" The wookie shrugged. "_I'd like to look around anyway. That leaves just you and the Captain on the ship._"  
"Doesn't she want to go out too? I just don't understand why she'd let Risha do all the negotiation...Not that I don't trust her, I'm just curious as to why." The mercenary said.  
"_To keep her head down, I suppose. The ruse she is cooking up with that other smuggler will be foiled if she's seen._" Bowdaar hypothesized. "_Which makes it a perfect time for you to tell her. I'll delay Risha for as long as possible, just in case, but I can't promise about Akaavi._" Corso grinned.  
"Ah no, don't worry about her, Bow. I don't think she really cares for me an' the Captain anyway. Thanks for stallin' Risha, though. I don't think I could live through her teasing."  
"Teasing about what?" Came the mechanic's voice, and the two turned to see her leaning against the wall. Corso drew himself up to his full height.  
"It's nothin' for you to be worried about, Rish." He replied coolly.  
"I think you're more worried than I am, farm boy." She grinned, but before she could say any more, the alarm sounded to alert them that they were about to drop out of hyperspace, Corso using this as an excuse to vacate Risha's presence, going to find Zavvi on the bridge. He felt the ship shift under his feet as she took manual control and he easily slipped into the co-pilot's seat in case she needed his assistance. Though the Twi'lek didn't acknowledge his presence, the Mantellian didn't mind; she had her beloved ship to think about, and he instead settled down to calling out altitudes and speeds, as well as keeping a wary eye on where they were going. Zavvi occasionally spoke to controllers on the ground, but her skill was such that only minimal assistance was needed, and soon the _Skylark_ was nestled into its hanger for the time it would be on planet. Only once the engines were shut down and the auxiliary power unit was running did the captain finally nod her satisfaction to Corso, who smiled. She didn't need to say anything to make him feel appreciated.

Corso followed Zavvi to the main room, where everyone had gathered, where she started with:  
"Right, then. What's everyone's plans, and where are we all going?" She asked.  
"I have a contact here I need to speak with." Akaavi spoke first. "I have...unfinished business." No-one wanted to ask what that was all about, so Zavvi just nodded her approval. It wasn't like she could stop the Mandalorian even if she tried.  
"Me and Bowdaar are going to go get those supplies you wanted us to get." Risha said. "And after that, I'm going to do some shopping. I don't know where the walking carpet wants to go."  
"_I wish to explore the planet a while, if you will let me, Captain._" Bowdaar rumbled. The smuggler chuckled.  
"Of course you can, Bowdaar, I'm not gonna stop you." She said, before glancing at Corso, who tried not to blush.  
"Well, er, I've gotta take a look at Hewie. I er, don't think he's activating properly. I'm staying here, Captain." He said, eyeing Risha warily, who grinned at him.  
"And I'm staying here too. I've got to do a few things with the _Skylark_'s computers and refuel it as well." She gave the mechanic a glare in warning, but that didn't stop her for going:  
"Oh really? You two have fun now..." She chuckled as she left with Bowdaar, Akaavi having already disappeared.  
Corso sighed and turned to Zavvi to say something, but she'd already gone back to the bridge. The young man breathed out a long, tired breath through his nose, rubbing his hand over his face. _This is gonna be harder than I thought._

* * *

Zavvi hadn't made good on her announcement to tinker with the _Skylark_'s computers. She should have been working on them; they always needed improvement and tweaking, but right now she couldn't summon the energy to do it. Add to that her mind was awhirl with other thoughts, so she just sat in her captain's chair and just thought.  
And she thought about Corso. About the night before, about this morning, about what Risha had said and about that thought that plagued her. _I love him._ It wasn't something she could deny any more. The only time she could say with some certainty that her attitude towards him had changed was their first trip to Tatooine, when she'd broken his heart. She'd got too annoyed and let her anger take over. It had made her say such terrible things that taunted her even now and had got her into trouble. Into trouble she was very close to not being able to get out of. And yet, despite it all, he'd come back to her and fought off the slavers to rescue her and get her medical treatment. She wasn't one for 'white knight' stories, but that was one time that it was sorely needed.

She had broken his heart and instead of leaving her to her fate in revenge he'd come and made sure she still had her freedom. She'd never met or known a man with such strong loyalty; loyalty reinforced by love, maybe, but he never forced her to love him. Never asked for anything more than what she wanted to give. And yet he'd given her so much; her sister may have gone behind her back to tell Corso of her scar and the dark tale behind it, but he didn't care. He accepted it as part of who she was and saw her as Zavvi, not just the species she was and what she represented. And when he'd gently convinced her to take off her headband for the first time in front of him, and when he'd just kissed it as if was the most normal thing in the world she'd finally realized she'd loved him.  
Even when she'd tried to push him away she'd loved him but she'd been so scared and yet he'd held on through it and let her realize that fact. Let her realize her heart had opened to him without her knowledge, and that she had already taken him in. And Risha was right; she could do a lot a worse than Corso. She figured she could do no better.

However she couldn't seem to tell him she loved him. Maybe it was because she'd hid her affections from people for so long she'd forgotten how to open up. Maybe it was because she was still scared of upsetting the status quo. _There must be a way I can make him see that I love him._ She thought. _Th__ere must be!_

It was like the Force had just granted her request, as just then she heard the sound of Corso's boots crossing the floor into the bridge. Her heart skipped several beats. She'd seen through his lame excuse for staying back; Hewie hadn't been used for a while, and she briefly wondered why he was coming to her now, before crushing the cacophony of thoughts full of fear and worry, turning her chair towards him. The Twi'lek hoped she didn't look as nervous as she felt.

Thankfully, Corso seemed just as nervous, which reassured her a little bit, so she just sat and waited for him to speak.  
"You know, we've been through a lot, Captain." Corso began. "Through the good, like Alderaan, and the bad, like Tatooine an'...that place we went where Skavak jumped us..." He trailed off briefly and Zavvi shifted slightly uncomfortably at the reminders. "But if it wasn't for you, Captain, I think I would've walked away from some of it. If you gave me a choice between you and the rest of the galaxy, I'd still be here at your side." He smiled. "I will always be here for you. For when you're hurt, when you feel alone, when you're old and when..." He swallowed hard and his voice wavered very slightly. "When you're...ready to leave this life. I will follow you to the edge of the galaxy and I'll go beyond it with you if that's what you want. I love you, Zavvi."

Her thoughts just seemed to stop at those four, powerful words, though they had quietened with the rest of his words before. She was thoughtless, speechless, and yet somehow Corso had found reserves of confidence he hadn't got before, and he stepped forward, gently taking her hands in his, his brown eyes gazing so deeply into hers she thought they could swallow her whole.  
"And...I...I think you love me too..." He said so softly she almost didn't hear him, and she could sense his uncertainty, his eyes windows to his hope and anxiety, hoping he hadn't read her wrong and hadn't said anything that could make her angry.

_How could you make me angry by telling me that?_ She thought to herself, and she felt a smile breaking out over her face, noticing the hope swelling in his eyes to crush the fear, and then the joy that blossomed as she nodded, confirming his suspicions.  
Corso swept her into his arms and crushed his lips to hers and Zavvi felt this fire spread through her body, an exhilaration that put the effects of adrenaline to shame thrumming through her vessels, electricity screaming down her nerves and her heart pounding fast and furiously, making her body light and free. Free...yes, she felt free now. Admitting to Corso that she loved him had broken her self-imposed shackles on her heart (if he hadn't already sneaked past the barbed wire fences into it) and she felt so much better. A tiny bit of guilt rose up in her mind but barely got a chance to open its mouth before it was squashed, caught up in the ecstasy of the moment.

When Corso finally broke away from her to breathe, she thought he was so happy he was fit to burst. That said, she was feeling almost the same way about him, and she hugged him close, resting her head on his chest.  
"I didn't think that men like you existed, Corso." She murmured, feeling his head lower to listen to her. "You make me want to be the lady you think I am."  
He rumbled with amusement, lifting her head up to look at him.  
"You are already the lady I know you are." He said. "You don't need to be any different for me."  
"I love you." Zavvi found herself blurting out, eyes starting to prickle at his words. _How are you __even real? How do I deserve you?_ Her thoughts cried.  
"I know." Corso replied cheekily, eyes twinkling as their noses brushed. "Nice to hear you say it though." His thumb deftly rubbed away a tear that was trying to escape one of her eyes before he kissed her again, gently, lovingly, and Zavvi poured in all her affection and love for him she'd been holding back and denying for a while yet. This affection was so deep it was a hair's breath away from lust, and the smuggler could feel the sensations coiling in her belly.  
"You know..." She began, breaking the kiss. "That stuff I said about messing with the _Skylark_'s computers?" She leant towards his ear. "I lied."

She felt the slight shiver he affected and sensed his grin as he turned his face towards her.  
"Hmm? And why would you tell me that, Captain?" Corso asked. Her fingers slunk down and toyed with the edge of his belt.  
"We've got this place to ourselves for a while...What do say we get ourselves better acquainted with each other, now we're something more...?" Zavvi purred, then squeaked with surprise as the Mantellian effortlessly plucked her off the floor.  
"Anything you want, Zavvi." He replied with a grin that nearly split his face in two, and hurried off towards her quarters.

* * *

**Author's note: **I have very little knowledge of how starships work, so I'm using principles I've learnt from commercial passenger jets and sort of ham-fisting them into the story. No doubt that causing some people to tear their hair out, and I apologise.

**Some explanation of the 'landing scene':** During a landing procedure, one pilot will fly the plane and the other will relay important info to said pilot; computer systems can take over this role if the pilot is flying solo. Altitude and speed is important (not as much for starships because they can slow to halt, whilst planes will stall and crash if they attempt the same thing), and despite controllers keeping everyone out of each others' way, I would assume all obey visual flight rule to see and avoid other ships, which is Corso's other role, especially on a populated planet such as Ralltiir.

An auxiliary power unit (or APU) is used as an secondary generator (most if not all power is derived from a plane's engines) in case of engine failure or, in this case, to keep the starship's systems functioning whilst the engines are turned off. Unlike our APUs though, I am assuming it is kept turned off for normal flight and it recharges its power cell through the sublight engines, and can be used in emergency situations when said engines cut out.

Okay, I've done nerding out now! I hope you enjoyed this!


	2. No Walking Away

"Stop it Corso!" Zavvi giggled, pushing his head away as she blushed furiously. Corso grinned mischievously, letting her push him around for the moment.

"Are ya sure, Captain?" He crooned. "'Cos you looked like you were enjoying it pretty good..." His hands wandered behind her, before being pushed aside by her arms, but that released her grip on his forehead, so he ducked down towards her lekku, which tried to lean out of his way, but their range of movement was pitiful at best, so he was only really stopped by her knee lodging into his throat, though he stretched his tongue out in a desperate attempt to reach the sensitive headtails.

When they'd reached the captain's quarters, the couple had made love, and it had been slow, like the first time, yet each movement, each touch was tender, loving, almost ritualistic in the way they took their time, Corso murmuring adoring words into Zavvi's ears and she doing the same back to him, though she ruined it slightly when she became slightly scared (for some reason she couldn't quite grasp) that he'd leave her, but the mercenary assured her the only time he would leave her would be through death itself, and even then he would fight its grasping claws until he had nothing left. She almost cried at that, but then he'd distracted her with pleasure and all she could think of then was how much she loved him.

And yet after those tender, loving moments, she found the side of her that hadn't seen light in a long time come out; she wanted to play, and play like a child. To her joy, she found Corso hadn't lost his boyish personality either, though they tinged their 'playtime' with their adult pleasures...Corso was enraptured by her lekku, and wanted to test different techniques on them, to see which she would like better. There had been quite a reaction when he licked them, so much so that Zavvi had pulled them away from him, blushing furiously. Unfortunately, this only courted the farm boy to do it all the more, and now they'd ended up in a game of rough and tumble as she tried to fend him off.

Corso drew back from Zavvi when he realized he wasn't likely to get through her defences, and he looked her over, scouting for another angle he could use against her. He'd seen a flash of her more childish side on Tatooine, of all places, where she had deliberately pushed him down a dune and then they'd had a tickle fight. Corso really enjoyed it, seeing a side to her he knew many others didn't, a side not weighed down by concern, and that was firmly grounded in the now, not what could be or could have been. And somehow, it satisfied a part of him deep down inside that longed for his childhood when the sun and the fields were gold and all he had to worry about was keeping the boisterous ronto colts away from his little sister. He briefly wondered what her childhood had been like. He couldn't imagine what a kid could do on a city planet like Coruscant, what with the abyssal drops and the lack of trees to climb and places to run. Maybe that's why she wanted to be a smuggler; to find a place that didn't feel so shut in...Because Corso knew he couldn't live on a city planet like that. He would miss the stars and the wind stirring the grasslands and just the general emptiness, the feeling of freedom.

Despite his gaze turning inward, Corso spotted Zavvi tense slightly, and he quickly grabbed her wrists as she attempted to pounce on him.  
"Hey! I thought you didn't want me touching you!" He cried, his grip strong enough so she couldn't break free from him easily.  
"You weren't touching me, you were trying to lick me!" She retorted, trying to wriggle her wrists free without much luck.  
"You didn't seem to mind this morning, Captain." The mercenary grinned wolfishly, and Zavvi blushed so hard her skin turned a pretty shade of mauve.  
"Yeah, well, er..." As she fought for a excuse, Corso managed to creep closer and closer, tempted to aim for her lekku whilst she was distracted, but figuring it was better to just steal a kiss from her. But before he could, she managed to halt his approach with her knee against his chest. "Hey, you're doing this on purpose!"  
"Doing what?" Corso asked innocently. The smuggler's eyes narrowed.  
"I swear you never used to be this devious." She said. "You must be picking up bad habits from me."  
"I'm a perfect gentleman, Captain." The Mantellian replied, trying not to grin too widely. The Twi'lek's eyebrow rose.  
"A gentleman, yeah, dunno about the 'perfect' bit." She spoke, smirking, letting Corso loop an arm around her waist to pull her closer.  
"And what could I do to change your mind about that?" He asked, voice low. Her smirk became a smile then, and she touched her nose to his.  
"Nothing at all, Corso. You're fine the way you are." The young man's eyes briefly darted away.  
"The way I am now." He reminded her. "I wound you up good before." She twirled a dreadlock around her fingers.  
"You did...And I'm grateful that you changed for me, but now I think about it...You didn't change too much." Her eyes sparkled. "All you did was learn to trust my abilities and not baby me." A thoughtful look. "And I learnt that maybe it's okay to have someone to take care of you sometimes. Because you can't do everything on your own. I guess I have a lot to thank you for."  
Corso smiled.  
"And I gotta few things to thank you for as well, Zavvi." He said, kissing her gently.

They were interrupted when the unmistakable sound of a holocomm chime filled the room. The couple blinked at each other, before they began to sort through their clothes to see whose it was. It turned out it was Zavvi's and she paled slightly when she saw the number.  
"Get back into bed and don't make a sound." She told him. Corso frowned with confusion, but when she pulled her creased shirt over her head and gestured, he did as he was told, watching her hurriedly cover her lower half with the duvet and then finally answer the call. An adult Twi'lek flickered into view, sitting on a chair, which didn't alarm him at first until Zavvi greeted him with;  
"Hey, Dad."

Corso suddenly realized that he was naked, in Zavvi's bed, and he was likely out of visual range, but not audio, and his captain's father was _right there._ He swallowed hard, and pretended not to exist.  
"Hello titch, how are you doing?" Kestrann asked, squinting slightly. "Hang on, where's your headband? You're not wearing it." The younger Twi'lek chuckled nervously, reaching over to take it off the bedside table, and she put it back on her head.  
"Well, er, I've slept in late today...I don't have any jobs today and I stopped off on Ralltiir to let the crew get off and have time to themselves, ya know...Decided I had some time to have a nap, 'til you woke me up." She said, the mercenary wincing at her poor lie. Her father raised an eyebrow.  
"Hmm, I though I heard reports a spacer of your description was active on Balmorra recently, apparently under the Republic's influence...That wasn't you, was it?"  
"It might've been." The smuggler admitted. "I might've become a Republic privateer and been asked to go on a mission to Balmorra." She half-smiled. "And I might have deliberately cut off my main comm so we could get a break, because some of the stuff we saw on Balmorra..." She shifted slightly. "The Empire's really done a number on that place."  
"Yes...I'm to be deployed there in a week's time. I'm just taking some time at home before I go out again." Kestrann replied, sighing softly and shifting in the chair. "Maybe we could meet up before I'm deployed?"  
Corso glanced to Zavvi, who sighed as well, shaking her head.  
"I don't know if I can, Dad. The senator who hired me isn't going to be too happy when she realizes I've taken some time off, and she's likely to put me straight back to work as soon as she gets back into contact. Senator Dodonna, her name is." Kestrann frowned.  
"No, I don't know her name, but I understand." _He looks tired. _Corso thought. "Though don't let her order you around too much. You're a smuggler for your freedom, don't forget that. "  
"I know, Dad, why do you think I've cut my communications to her? I've talked to a friend of mine, see if he can't conjure up a good enough cover story for me."  
"Ah, there's the daughter I know." Kestrann grinned.

Corso had been doing a good job of keeping a low profile, and decided to try and find his clothes so he could quietly vacate the room, or at least be decently dressed so if her father did want to talk to him, it wouldn't be an entirely embarrassing event. He leaned over the bed to look for his boxers, and suddenly his nose decided to betray him, and he sneezed.  
Unfortunately, it was loud enough that Kestrann could hear that someone was with his young daughter, and he had already noted the state of her clothes.  
"Who else is with you, Zavvi?" He asked in a tone that told the young Twi'lek that he could see through any and all excuses she gave for it. She winced, as did Corso, and both blushed.  
"It's, uh, it's Corso, Dad." She answered weakly. "You know-"  
"I know who he is, Zavvi, let me see him." Kestrann growled. They looked at each other, the young man with more than a comfortable amount of alarm.  
"Well, it's just that-" The younger Twi'lek began before her father snapped with;  
"Zavvi." It was enough to make her sigh and hand the comm over to Corso, who swallowed hard as the older Twi'lek caught sight of him and his eyes narrowed.

"Uh, hello, sir..." Corso began awkwardly, his hand gripping the sheets so tightly his knuckles turned white. Kestrann folded his arms, all traces of tiredness gone from his features. Though a hologram wasn't good to pick out detail, the mercenary could tell at a mere glance that the trooper had seen the same if not more combat that Corso had seen, and even though he was sitting down, the authority the older Twi'lek wielded was palpable. He only wished he could have met him on a more respectable basis.  
"Would you care to tell me what exactly you're doing with my daughter?" Kestrann asked coolly. The Mantellian shifted uncomfortably, and scratched his neck.  
"Look, er, sir, this isn't what it looks like..." The trooper's eyebrow rose.  
"It isn't, is it?" He said, in the tone Corso's own father would use when he knew his son was putting his foot in his mouth. Only this time it wasn't about being caught drinking behind the barn, it was being caught by his lover's father who probably didn't know what was going on between them. Well, this wasn't going to go smoothly.  
"No, wait, that wasn't what I meant! I mean, well, it is sorta what it looks like," Zavvi buried her face in her hands, "but we both wanted it, if you know what I mean."  
"Am I supposed to take you at your word?"  
"Sir, I wouldn't dream of doing anything she didn't want to her, or to any lady! I don't have a death wish." He glanced to her, who'd come out of the cradle of her hands to look back at him, and smiled slightly at his comment. "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't ever try to get into contact with you or anythin', but truth is, well, this has only happened recently." He shifted slightly. "You see sir, I love your daughter, my Captain very much, and, well, I haven't had the courage to tell her until now..."  
"Yeah, it's true, dad." Zavvi butted in, shifting into a position next to Corso so her father could see her too. "He just told me about an hour or so ago." She blushed slightly. "I feel the same way towards him too."  
"I wouldn't do anything to hurt your daughter, an' I think she'd be able to give me a beating if I even tried." Corso said, sparing a loving look at the smuggler. "She's beautiful, got a gorgeous smile an' she's got a heart of gold. She's always try'n help the people we meet all over the place, and she's a real good shot too, especially with two blaster pistols."

Zavvi kept blushing all the harder at the mercenary's admiring words. She knew he thought highly of her, but how! Sure, she'd heard compliments for others, but Corso's seemed to make her all warm and soft inside and seemed to make her blush without fail each time. Though she had disliked it a little before, as it had revealed a weakness to her, but now she had accepted her attraction to him it seemed just an extra silver lining.  
"Son, you need to understand she is very precious to me." Kestrann spoke firmly. "And as I'm sure you understand, her profession is dangerous and I don't know if you're going to play her around before you drop her like a bad habit."  
"No sir, I'd never do that!" Corso cried. "I love Zavvi, and I could never, ever do that to her, let alone any other lady! She don't need my protection, but I'd still do everything in my power to keep her safe if that's what she wants." He looked down at his feet. "She's the only lady I've ever loved properly, sir. I understand how precious she is to you, because Zavvi's very precious to me too."

There was a pause, before a slight smile tugged at the corner of Kestrann's mouth.  
"Alright son, I believe you." He said, eyes twinkling. "You're already in my good books though, because of what you did on Tatooine. Thank you, Corso. I don't know if I could repay you. Aside from letting you court my daughter, of course." The older Twi'lek grinned at the mercenary's bashful smile. "Aren't you supposed to ask me first before you do that, though?"  
"W-Well, er, it slipped my mind, sir." Corso admitted, ducking his head. "I'm sorry, but I did ask Zavvi..."  
"And that's fine, so long as she said yes." He looked to his daughter, who nodded. "You really don't need my blessing then, but you will have it anyway." Kestrann suddenly scowled. "But don't you dare upset her or hurt her or I will find you and introduce you to the business end of my rifle."  
"Of course, sir." Corso nodded. "But like I said, I wouldn't dare upset or hurt her. First because I love her, and also 'cos she'd kick my butt if I tried." Kestrann chuckled.  
"Ah yes, I must have taught her well, then." He affected a thoughtful look, though he winced slightly in pain, but from what neither of the couple could see.

"Tell me if I misheard you, but did I hear that you loved Zavvi, Corso?" Kestrann asked, both the young man and Twi'lek nodding.  
"Yeah, it's true sir." Corso replied, his hand seeking one of the younger Twi'lek's. "I...should've told her sooner, but I never had the courage to."  
"It's all right, Cor." The smuggler butted in. "It took me some time to realize I loved you as well, and I found it really hard to tell you." She glanced away shyly, Kestrann watching this almost proudly.  
"I think you two will be very happy together." He said, rubbing his upper thigh, wincing yet again. "Mostly because I have never seen Zavvi show her scar to anyone before." He smiled wistfully. "You are very special man, Corso. Cherish that."  
"I will, sir. I promise you that." The Mantellian agreed, squeezing Zavvi's hand affectionately.  
"I better leave you kids to...whatever it is you kids do these days." The trooper said, grinning as they both blushed hard. "I'm not as old as you think titch, I know perfectly well what you two were up to."  
"You'll be able to call me back soon, right? Preferably when me and Corso actually have clothes on next time?" Zavvi asked her father, who frowned slightly.  
"I'll do what I can Zavvi, but I'm getting deployed again soon, so I can't guarantee any communication. But seeing you happy...that..." He ran a hand over his face, rubbing his eyes. "That's more than enough for me. Look after each other, both of you." His mouth opened to add something, but thought better of it and closed it.  
"We will, Dad. Please talk to me soon, I miss you." The smuggler spoke.  
"And I miss you too, sweetheart." The older Twi'lek replied softly. "Keep yourself, your partner and your crew safe. Good hunting, Zavvi."  
"Good hunting, Dad."  
And with that, the hologram flickered away, and Zavvi sighed, sagging slightly.

There was a pregnant pause that stretched for a while before Corso said:  
"That went better than I thought." Zavvi nodded.  
"Yeah, I thought he was going to chew you out at one point. Doesn't stop it being painfully awkward, though."  
"Yeah..." The mercenary scratched his neck. "But it's good, right? He's letting us be together."  
"Yes, but..." The Twi'lek sighed, shaking her head. "There's something wrong with him, Corso. I don't know what, but he...He seems more frail than I remember. More frail from the last time I spoke with him."  
"You think there's somethings' the mater with him?" Corso asked, quickly becoming concerned for his father-in-law (even though he wasn't, not technically). Zavvi just frowned.  
"Maybe...But I don't...I'm not sure. Maybe I'm just worrying. He's getting old anyway...He'll be fifty-nine soon. But knowing the war, they can't let him just retire..." She sighed. "I dunno Corso, I just..." She shook her head and Corso pulled her close, into his embrace.  
"Hey, I wouldn't worry, Captain. I'm sure he'll be able to pull through. He seems like a tough guy." He reassured her, running a finger over some tattoos on her lekku.  
"Yeah, I guess so. Can't help but worry though, 'cos he is my dad..." The Twi'lek murmured, enjoying his touch.  
"Mmhmm." The mercenary hummed his response, the question about her other parent burning the tip of his tongue, but he wisely didn't open his mouth to voice his query.

"We better get back dressed; I dunno when the crew will roll up and I'd rather not endure a picket line outside my quarters if that's alright with you." The smuggler spoke, stretching in a very distracting way, Corso taking a few moments to realize he needed to conjure a response.  
"Yeah, considerin' I just talked to your dad with nothing on but a sheet?" He blushed. "I don't feel like doin' that again in a while."  
"Ah well, at least nothing embarrassing happened to you..." Zavvi spoke as she redressed, grinning as she could almost feel the indignation rolling off him.  
"That was the least arousing thing I can think of, probably next to savrips and rakghouls, Captain." Corso huffed, searching for his clothes as well. "And you weren't the one who was gonna get your hide tanned for it!"  
"Was kinda funny to watch you squirm though." The captain chuckled, and whilst the mercenary's brows furrowed, they lifted as he suddenly grinned.  
"I'd have to disagree, Captain. I'd say watching you squirm is much better." His tone darkened, though the look in his eyes was mostly playful, though she could see the desire simmering within them.  
She turned to hide her blush, slipping her boots on and decided to shunt the conversation along.

"Are we gonna tell the crew about our...you know, the fact we're together now?" She asked, not really wanting to turn around and look at him and admit her shyness about this matter. Sure, Corso had been shy before too, but he had an excuse; he'd been shoehorned into a relationship before. She hadn't, and therefore it was her own damn fault, yet she hadn't the courage to admit it to anyone's face.  
"They're gonna find out either way Captain." The Mantellian pointed out. "I'd say we just tell 'em, save us the hassle." He shrugged. "We'll get an earful from Rish, but that's nothing we can't handle, right?"  
Zavvi smiled. Trust Corso to just take the simplest, most logical road. She didn't really want to sit through Risha going 'I told you so' and teasing them about being lovebirds, but the young man was right; it was a hurdle they'd have to clamber over at some point, and pacing around the issue would only make the eventual admission worse. Also, the last thing she wanted was to put any more strains on their fledgling relationship; she didn't want to upset the man she loved because she was just too cowardly just to get it over and done with.  
And Kestrann didn't raise any cowards.

"Yeah, that's probably the best idea." She flashed a grin at him. "You tell them first." She giggled when Corso started to shutter a rebuttal. "Don't worry farm boy, I'll handle it. You, on the other hand..." She walked over to him, and gently kissed his cheek. "You need to think about whether..." She hesitated. "No, it's too early for that..."  
"For what, Captain?"  
"It's nothing, Corso. Don't worry about it."  
"Are you sure? Captain, you can talk to me about anything-"  
"No, it's fine." The steel in her tone was enough to ward him off nicely. He figured she'd talk to him about it at her own pace, though he was very curious now. Much like the mystery about her mother, he had resigned himself to merely waiting to see if she would talk to him about it. But he'd make sure that when she was ready to talk, he'd be ready.

There was some thumps on the door of the room that heralded at least Risha's return, just as Corso was pulling his boots back on. Aside from their ruffled clothes and equally ruffled bedsheets there was little to show of their past antics; the young man was glad that Zavvi hadn't left any love bites, at least this time, though he tried to suppress these thoughts, least they cause trouble for him.  
Zavvi walked over to the door and palmed it open, folding her arms at the smirking mechanic.  
"Is there a problem, Risha?" She asked, aware of the farm boy hovering behind her.  
"I knew your excuses were shams." The older woman commented. "Farm boy couldn't lie his way out of a bag, but I thought you were better, Captain." She tutted, shaking her head.  
"Actually, we were taking care of important business." The smuggler replied, ignoring Risha's snigger. "Not in that way. It was about...how we see each other." She swallowed hard, noticing Bowdaar appear from around the curving corner to see what was going on. She felt her courage start to shake now an audience had gathered, hoping that Akaavi wouldn't turn up and start staring at her disapprovingly at her as well.  
A hand on her side reminded her of Corso, and though she shifted out of the doorway to let him through, his touch didn't go unnoticed, and she felt a ripple of reassurance flow through her. _He should be a Jedi._ She thought to herself, before she realized. _No, actually I'm glad he's not. The Order already has one of my loved ones, I don't want them to take another._

"Agh, I'm beating around the bush. Look, Rish, I know you already know this," Corso looked at Risha with astonishment, "but me, Corso...We've got a thing going on together." Risha rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll admit it, we're in love. There, I've said it. I've fallen in love with him, and I don't care if you think I could do better or I'm a sap or whatever; in my galaxy, there isn't better. You wanna complain about my choice of boyfriend, you take it to the roomier end of an airlock." Zavvi said, the passion palpable in her voice which surprised her as well as the others.  
The Mantellian glanced to Bowdaar, who 'grinned' at him. Corso grinned back with a slight nod; he definitely owed the wookie for this, but if there was someone Corso wanted to owe anything to, Bowdaar was one of the better ones. Risha's feathers were certainly ruffled by the Twi'lek's little speech, and she muttered something like 'fine, there's no need to be so prickly about it', and wandered off, past Akaavi who'd appeared just as the captain was getting passionate.

She didn't really care much for this crew; all but the wookie made for weak warriors and she was sure as soon as a better opportunity reared its head she would move on. She had respect for the smuggler for dodging all the bounty hunters that were after her, for allowing the Zabrak to exact her revenge on Moff Tyrak for signing the warrant that had eliminated her entire clan and also for offering her a place on the _Skylark_ without asking for anything more from her. Akaavi didn't think much of Zavvi's fighting style; hiding behind cover was truly cowardly, especially when she relied on the boy to take the brunt of the fight. But there was something to that impassioned speech, a fire that reminded Akaavi of the battles she'd fought alongside her clan that showed that there was a hint of a true warrior hiding under the Twi'lek's skin.  
Didn't mean she agreed with her choice of mate, though.

"Right, I better go check on what Risha's brought." Zavvi spoke, missing Akaavi slip away and her appearance in general. "When we get back in contact with the Senator, I doubt she's going to let us off to resupply, so I better check we're going to be all right for a while." A slight smirk turned the corner of her lips up. "And I think I need to soothe her ego too."  
"I think the Princess will survive, Captain." Corso said, unable to resist mirroring her lopsided smirk. The smuggler rolled her eyes at him, but kept smiling.  
"You are picking up far too many bad habits from me, farm boy. Besides, a happy princess is one that isn't going to keep chewing your ear off, so you'll thank me later." She replied, before grinning at him. "See you in a minute, handsome." And with that, she followed in the wake of the mechanic, leaving Corso and Bowdaar together.

"I told her." The Mantellian said proudly, puffing his chest out slightly, the wookie chuffing happily.  
"_So I see. I admit, I am more than a little proud at being the person to finally persuade you to tell her._" Bowdaar replied, eyes crinkling at the corners. "_There is a certain lightness to her now I haven't seen before. And you look more relaxed as well._"  
"Yeah, I noticed that too." The young man nodded. "And no wonder I look better. It feels like I threw a weight off my shoulders."  
"_It seems you took her weight from her too._" Bowdaar replied solemnly. "_I can only imagine what she still has behind closed doors._" Corso nodded.  
"I suppose we're all the same here. We all got things we don't wanna remember or talk about." He said, then smiled. "At least now I'll be there for her if she wants to talk about that sorta stuff, you know?"  
"_Talk back to her, Corso. You can't take her secrets if you don't give yours._" The wookie warned him. "_But I shouldn't worry, both of you will be good life-mates._"

The Mantellian swore the wookie was grinning at him.  
"Life what?! Bow, I think that's a little too much too fast. I mean, I only just told her I love and then to-" He assumed the short, wheezy barks was laughter.  
"_We call our partners life-mates; we choose those we love and adore and spend the rest of our lives together. You have your ceremonies official, but there are no need for them._" He cocked his head to one side. "_You would stay with Zavvi for as long as you could?_"  
"She..." Brief images of Ariane rose unbidden in his mind, but he pushed them away resolutely. "She's the only lady I've ever loved."  
"_Then aren't you life mates?_"  
Corso pondered this a while, turning things over in his head, taking his time to form an answer.  
"I guess so." He admitted. "To be honest, I don't think the Captain will ever settle down proper until she couldn't fly the ship straight. And I don't think she'd ever want to really...get married." He felt a part of his heart ache as he said those words, ignoring it. "But so long as I can be hers and she'll let me be with her until the end of our lives, that's good enough for me."  
The wookie sighed.  
"_I think you might be right there. But we can never really know. She is a female, after all._" The mercenary gave him a look. "_I might not have been much more than a gladiator for most of my life, but I know that females will always be a mystery. And those like Zavvi have secrets as deep as the Void. I doubt you'll ever get to the bottom of them._"  
Corso flashed a grin at the wookie.  
"I think I can deal with that."

Before they could say more, the sound of the ship's holocomm chime filled the corridor, and the young man chuckled.  
"This might be interesting...Shall we go see how the Captain handles a really angry Senator?" He asked Bowdaar, eyes twinkling with mischief.  
"_It's worth a look to see if her ruse has worked._" He replied, nodding and letting Corso lead the way to the main room, to be greeted by the sight of a rather unhappy Senator Dodonna and a guilty looking Zavvi and Risha, Akaavi looking on disapprovingly.  
Although they were likely going to be getting an earbashing and to be thrown into dangerous conflicts and to be chased around by hungry bounty hunters without much aid or sympathy, Corso knew that as long as he was the side of his beloved Captain, there was no walking away...


End file.
